While most of the museum visits on my coast-to-coast trip last month were to those of the children's or science variety, I did briefly take in some art at this fine museum in Portland.
It doesn't hurt that New England seems to produce more than its fair share of artists that can be featured at a regional museum like this. I was particularly excited to see a couple of lovely paintings by Rockwell Kent, who spent some time in Maine. This was my favorite of his at the Museum (even though it's not showing a Maine scene!):
My personal interest in the peripatetic Mr. Kent stems from the fact that my father spent some time at one of his former homes, in Newfoundland in the 1950's. (You can read about his time there on this web page; see more pictures of Kent's house in this Flickr set.)
The Portland museum offers a lot to see in a relatively small space. And the space is lovely in and of itself, with all kinds of interesting touches. Like these look-good-enough-to-eat apples that decorate a mezzanine facing...
There's also an impressive display of Native American-inspired art up on the top floor...
But as is often the case, smaller items provide their share of highlights, too...
The art of New England isn't confined to museums, for sure.
I've shown you the lovely domestic architecture on display in the kids' neighborhood before. On this visit I snapped a couple of lovely structures in a different part of town, when meeting a friend for lunch on a foggy day...
Aren't they handsome?!
I got to see some great architecture on the other coast during this trip, too. Next up: San Diego buildings of note.
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